Elemental Forces
by NebulaSpider
Summary: DG managed to save her family and the OZ from the Witch. Despite everything, she still can't control her magic. Will she be able to break down her barriers and embrace herself and her legacy before another threat to the OZ threatens her life once again?
1. Chapter 1

**Author:** NebulaSpider

**Rating:** T for now, will eventually be M

**Title:** Elemental Forces

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**Summary:** DG managed to save her family and the OZ from the Witch. Despite everything, she still can't control her magic. Will she be able to break down her barriers and embrace herself and her legacy before another threat to the OZ threatens her life once again?

**Disclaimer:** Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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The main palace of the rulers of the Outer Zone lay in the exact center of Central City, on a gentle rise that lifted the towers and spires well above the rest of the city. The building itself was constructed along a common city design; somewhat narrow but tall to preserve space. Since it was the home of the ruling family, however, gardens and walkways offered the illusion of privacy and isolation from the rest of the city. _And never mind the constant noise_, thought one of its inhabitants wryly. _Or even the fact that we are _supposed_ to be somewhat accessible to the people_.

"DG!" a man snapped in exasperation. "Can I please have your undivided attention for even five minutes? You will never master your magic if you cannot manage to focus."

The young woman in question jumped in surprise and dragged her thoughts away from the city and back toward Tutor. "Sorry, Toto," she mumbled. "I'm just frustrated. I don't really feel like I've gotten anywhere with these exercises. Not that I think it's your fault," she added hastily as one of his eyebrows arched. "I just can't seem to do them correctly, or even at all." She lapsed into a glum silence, waiting for Tutor to tell her that she simply was not focusing enough. She heard variations of that sentiment at least once a week, and generally more often.

The magic lessons were a sore point with DG right now. Once she accepted that magic was real and she possessed it, she assumed that learning how to use it would be somewhat intuitive since she spent hours as a child learning the basics. Unfortunately, it turned out that wasn't even close to the reality. True, she could feel the magic inside of her. It was comforting and familiar, almost like warm bath water as she embraced it. She even managed to regain the proficiency she had as a child. She was quite good at levitating objects and moving them in very simple ways so long as they were in her line of sight. That was the absolute extent of her progress. No matter what forms of magic Tutor tried to teach her, DG failed at making it work. Oh, she knew how to do it well enough. Since the practical application seemed to be beyond her, Tutor gleefully tortured her with daily lessons on magical theory and principles. At this point, she figured she probably knew more about the why of magic than either her mother or her sister. As much as she hated it, she did have to admit that the knowledge helped her to just barely squeak through her mother's interrogations on the progress of her lessons. Another similar "interview" was scheduled for later this afternoon and she had been dreading it all week.

"I've really been trying, Toto," DG continued softly after a moment of silence. She stared at the ground, unwilling to see how she disappointed another person. "Maybe you and the queen were wrong. Maybe the things I did during the Eclipse were just a fluke, or a side effect of mother giving me her life force. Or maybe I'm just an amplifier for Az and her power."

Tutor heaved a deep sigh and DG cringed. "No, DG, I know you've been trying. You have tried harder in the past six weeks than you have in the entire six months you have been in the OZ again combined. You certainly have the theory down." He paused for a second, thinking hard. "I know the power is there. I have more than enough ability to see that much. I can even tell that you should be one of the strongest, most accomplished elemental mages in centuries. That aspect of your magic shines so brightly when I feel for it that it seems to burn me. It's almost as if…" He trailed off as an idea occurred to him. He knelt to place his hand on a patch of bare earth.

It was the only thing that saved his life. There was a slight rustle and then a knife blade gleamed in the sunlight as it passed through the space Tutor's body had just occupied. Had he been standing, the blade would have hit him solidly in the throat. DG was already turning from some slight half-buried instinct, but she was too slow to completely evade the blade aimed at her. The knife hit her shoulder hard enough to make her stagger backward several steps from the sheer force of it. She dropped into a crouch with a cry of agony and surprise.

"DG!" Tutor cried out in alarm as he saw the blood spilling down her arm. "Guards!" he shouted at the top of his deep voice. "Guards! To the princess! Assassin!" A man burst out of the bushes and launched himself toward them. The man cursed viciously when he saw them both alive and reached for another blade on his belt. This one was too long to throw. Tutor flung himself in between DG and the assassin, grappling for the dagger desperately. The man's face was fixed in a rictus of crazed rage. He landed a wild blow to Tutor's head that dazed him just enough to allow the man to throw him to one side. Tutor shimmered into his dog form and tried to distract the man from DG again but he wasn't big enough or strong enough to make a difference. The man kicked him aside in contempt. He watched in despair, barking madly as he tried to get up again, as the man leaped for DG again and brought his dagger back for a killing blow.

DG was moving too sluggishly to do more than try to stagger away from him. She watched the sun catch the metal and scatter. It seemed to descend in slow motion and she reached a hand out to catch the blade and keep it from her throat. The sharp edge touched her palm and bit deep, making her cry out again. Pain lanced up her arm and she stumbled back another step but she couldn't keep her balance and fell to the ground again. Her attacker snarled. He lunged at her a final time and this time DG knew she would not be able to evade him again. _I'm sorry_, she thought idly, not sure what she meant it for.

She pushed her injured hand against the ground to try to roll away from him despite her conviction that she couldn't make it in time. As soon as the blood from her hand touched the ground, light flared up all around her. DG tried to yank her hand away to protect her eyes from its brightness, but it seemed glued to the ground. As her life blood poured into the earth, power poured out of her, responding to her danger as it never responded to her will. The man cried out in despair and rage as the light flung him across the garden. He landed with a dull thud, stirred once then collapsed and was still. The light disappeared as quickly as it flared up.

DG collapsed fully on the ground to curl up in her own blood, trembling violently as adrenaline and pain washed over her. The entire attack took up possibly only 30 or 40 seconds but it felt like at least an hour to her. _I'm going into shock_, she realized. She was very cold all of a sudden and she couldn't stop shaking. Even her thoughts were thick and felt cottony and everything seemed to be happened at an incredible distance away from her. She watched hazily as guards burst into the clearing with drawn weapons.

Their lieutenant barked out orders and two men dashed toward the palace. Two others started a comprehensive search in the surrounding clumps of bushes. One soldier knelt briefly by the assassin and shook his head. "He's dead, sir, of a broken neck." That soldier then went to assist Toto who still seemed shaky.

The lieutenant knelt by DG to check over her injuries. He mentally prepared himself for the worst, fully expecting from the amount of blood she was lying in that the princess had life-threatening wounds. Somewhat to his relief, they did not look too bad. The knife lodged under her left collarbone surely hurt a lot, but the knife itself prevented it from bleeding too badly. Her right hand was slashed clear down to bone and the thumb looked half-severed from the force of the blade. To the lieutenant's experienced eyes, it was clearly a defensive injury and by far the more serious of the two.

He shrugged out of his jacket and proceeded to tear his shirt into long strips. One long strip he wound tightly about her forearm. The rest of it he wound around the hand itself, trying to staunch the blood flow from the injury itself. The princess moaned lightly in pain and writhed slightly in protest. The cloth almost instantly soaked through. "Steton," the lieutenant barked. Steton was a step ahead of him and had already taken off his own shirt.

DG groaned a little at the additional pressure on her hand and looked up at the two guards kneeling over her. _The palace guards are all in great shape_, she thought inanely, watching the muscles ripple in their toned chests. She dragged her mind back to what mattered. "Is Tutor okay?" One of them nodded and she closed her eyes a moment in relief. "Can you pull out this damned knife?" she asked hopefully.

The lieutenant shook his head regretfully. "It's best that we don't, Princess," he said. "Not only is it going to hurt like hell, it's keeping the wound from bleeding too much and you're losing enough blood from your hand as it is."

She sighed and struggled to sit up. Steton made as if to push her back down, but she glared up at him. "Help me up," she said. "I am not going to continue lying on bloody dirt where I was almost killed and returned the favor." Her throat closed up for a second, but she pushed it back to deal with later. She was not going to start crying in front of her guards. Most of them were tough men, used to loss from the Witch's reign and her marauding Longcoats. They would not appreciate a sign of weakness from her.

Once it was clear that she was going to stand up and walk back to the palace under her own power no matter what anyone thought about it, the guards gave in to the inevitable and helped her up as gently as they could. Pain pulsed throughout DG's body, in waves so great her vision blurred at the edges. Her knees seemed to get weak and wobbly, but she gritted her teeth and forced her legs to hold her upright.

The lieutenant swore under his breath and wrapped his left arm around her waist. "Come on, Princess," he said. "We're not that far from the palace, but I wish you would wait for a stretcher."

DG didn't answer him. All of her concentration was devoted to staying conscious and more or less upright. The closer they got to the palace, the more she seemed to be leaning on the lieutenant and the more he seemed to swear. "You have a dirty mouth, Lieutenant," she said, amused. At least, that's what she thought she said. Her tongue didn't seem to want to cooperate with her and her words came out sounding like she tried to speak through a mouthful of oatmeal. The lieutenant pulled her to a stop and swung around to look in her eyes. "Princess?" he said softly, his eyes full of concern. "Princess, can you hear me?"

DG started blankly at him for a moment. She knew he was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't hear anything except for a distant roaring. With a quiet sigh of relief, she felt the world spin away beneath her and let the darkness at the edge of her vision take her away completely.

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AN: I am so excited about my storyline so far. I have great vision, I tell you! LOL, anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do. I actually know where I'm going with this one, so although updates won't be every day, they shouldn't be too terribly far apart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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Wyatt Cain knew something was wrong as soon as he approached the main street leading to the palace gates. Guards were practically crawling out of the woodwork and every single one of them looked grim and serious. They were far too intent for a drill and there was none of the usual eye rolling or discrete banter that accompanied such maneuvers. Cain increased his pace, anxiety eating at him. What had happened at the palace to make the guards so nervy? Did anyone on the grounds have enough experience to deal with a serious situation?

Almost immediately, he forced himself to let go of that particular thought. That was a dead end and unworthy to boot. Nearly every man he and the Consort had chosen for the Palace Guard had more than enough experience fighting the Witch and her Longcoats in the rebel forces to justify their presence on the guard roster. Those that had not been active in the underground rebellion had been guards or heavyweights for trading caravans or businesses within the city and deserved respect. It was foolish for him to think that he was the only person capable of responding to an emergency situation.

Although he kept trying to reassure himself, Cain continued to pick up his pace until he was stopped at the front gate by an entire squad of guards. Despite himself, his hand started to stray toward his gun. The telling noise of a gun cocking behind his ear made him stop. With an effort, he forced his hand to relax at his side and turned just enough to catch the barrel out of the corner of his eye.

"What the hell is going on, Rob?" he snarled. "Was the Princess injured?"

Rob eyed him for a long moment before shrugging. "Sorry, Cain," he said curtly. He wasn't sorry, of course, but he wasn't willing to offend his immediate superior with no real reason. "There was an assassination attempt not even ten minutes ago. Two men breached the grounds and attacked the princesses. Both of the assassins are dead, but two guards are dead and at least one of the princesses is injured pretty badly. No one out here knows what's going on yet, except that we're to lock down the entire grounds until everything can be sorted out."

Cain stared at Rob for a moment before swearing viciously. His hand tightened around his revolver so tightly he thought it might actually crack. "Rob, from this point until you hear from me or the Consort or the Advisor in person, you will not let anyone through these gates. I don't care if it's a Viewer or the Good Witch reborn, if anyone gets in without my permission I will string you up to hang myself. Understand?"

Rob nodded curtly and holstered his weapon. "You can count on us, sir!" With a sharp salute, he waved Cain through the main gates and bolted him securely behind him. Cain broke into an all out run up the path toward the palace. His guards would not have let him onto the grounds at all if there was any chance of a threat still remaining, but he couldn't help but look sharply at everything he passed. Every gently waving tree, every inviting garden path suddenly became a place where a potential assassin could hide. Cain didn't slow down though. He couldn't slow down, not until he knew who was injured and how badly. _Oh please, Deeg_, he thought desperately. _Please be okay_.

Cain reached the palace and darted past another set of guards at the front door with a sharp salute and without slowing down even a tiny bit. One of them gestured toward the east and he took that hallway without missing a beat. He was just in time to see DG collapse completely into Lieutenant Soren Mikkelsan's arms. "DG!" he cried out. He was horrified to see the blood soaked bandages covering her arm and shoulder. "Soren, what happened?" he managed.

The lieutenant shifted DG so that she was lying in a slightly more natural position in his arms. "Assassins, sir. Princess DG was in her daily magic lesson with Tutor in a secluded clearing. No one had any idea anything was happening until we heard Tutor screaming for us. I sent half of my men after Princess Azkadellia and took the rest with me to help Princess DG. She had already taken care of the problem." Mikkelsan's voice held a muffled admiration for the younger princess. It was clear that whatever had happened impressed him immensely. "One of my other team reported that Princess Azkadellia was unharmed, but had killed her attacker. She is being escorted to the Queen and Consort now. DG was not so fortunate."

They reached the infirmary and Mikkelsan laid the princess down on the closest bed as gently as he could. Cain sank down onto a chair near the bed as he saw the full extent of the princess's injuries. "Go get cleaned up, Soren," he said gruffly.

Lieutenant Mikkelsan did not say a word, only saluted sharply and left the princess to her bodyguard. Everyone knew that Cain and DG had traveled the length of the OZ together to save it from the Witch. Everyone knew how close the two were – how they saved each other time and time again.

Medical staff bustled in and surrounded the Princess, and Cain stood up out of their way against a wall. He noticed how dark and limp her hair looked against her face. He noticed how brilliant the blood looked against her pale skin. He had a perfect view of her as the two doctors and a nurse slowly unwrapped her wounds and stitched them up. When they revealed her slashed hand, Cain gritted his teeth. When they stitched her up and she cried out softly, he reached for his gun.

When they pulled out the knife in her shoulder, DG screamed in agony and cried out for him. "Cain! Please make them stop!" she sobbed wildly. Cain was at her side in a minute, ignoring the glares of the doctors. "I'm right here, princess," he whispered. He stroked her hair gently. "I'm right here, DG. I know it hurts. I know. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to stop it, but it will be over soon. I promise." He cursed the fact that Raw was not anywhere near Central City.

Another hoarse scream tore from DG's throat and Cain turned his entire attention to attempting to soothe her. Eventually, the nurse was able to give her a sleeping drought and DG's cries slowly subsided. Cain held her hand tightly, thankful for the fact that he didn't have to participate in torture anymore. Right there and then, he swore that if he ever found out who was responsible for her pain and the guards' deaths, he would personally kill them very slowly.

The older doctor stayed behind and shooed the nurse out as she tried to clean up. "I'll take care of it," he said. With a slightly confused look, the nurse bobbed her head in acknowledgement and left the room. The two men stared at each other over DG limp body. "Do you know who did this?" the doctor asked bluntly.

Cain examined the doctor through narrowed eyes. The man was tired and splattered with DG's blood. He also looked worn out and very, very angry. "No," he said slowly. "No, I don't know who did this, but I'm wondering if you do."

The doctor showed no surprise at Cain's near accusation. His lip twisted up through and he shrugged a shoulder, although it was anything but casual if Cain was any judge of character at all. "I have seen this type of knife once before. Only once, in all the years I have practiced medicine." He fell silent and after a long moment wrapped a long piece of clean cotton around the hilt of the bloody knife that had been pulled out of a princess's shoulder. He offered the weapon to Cain. "Compare this weapon to the others used on the grounds today. If they're all the same, you have a bigger problem than you could ever imagine."

Cain looked at the knife. He was so concerned with DG that he hadn't even noticed it before this point. It was extremely distinctive. It appeared to be made out of solid copper. The blade itself was an old-fashioned leaf-shaped blade, but the hilt was a work of art. Strands of solid copper worked in sinuous patterns twinned around each other to form a hollow, latticed cylinder. It seemed impractical in the extreme, and hardly a weapon to depend on it. It was, however, a weapon to make a statement with. "What do you mean?" Cain asked in a hard voice, his heart sinking.

The doctor continued to clean his surgical tools. "I don't know for sure, Mr. Cain, and I'm not going to guess. If it's what I think, though, the Queen will be able to tell you soon enough."

Cain realized that he wouldn't get anymore information out of the doctor at the moment and backed off. He rolled his eyes just slightly. The last thing anybody needed today was riddles. For the sake of the OZ, if there was a major problem, why didn't the doctor just let everyone know what he was afraid of?

That wasn't a fair thought, though. Independent thinking was not encouraged under the Witch's reign and nobody really trusted that the time of her deprivation and depravity was totally over with. It was hard to express opinions after 15 years of keeping them to yourself. It was hard to act with initiative when that sort of action was punished with the death or torture of your loved ones. He thought of Adora and Jeb, punished with hardship and grief because he was a member of the resistance. Then he looked down at DG lying pale and injured and found it in himself to let the doctor alone for the time being. He busied himself for a moment with pulling off DG's shoes and making her as comfortable as possible.

A loud crash jerked Cain to his feet. Before he even realized that he heard the noise, his revolver was drawn and pointed unerringly at the person standing in the doorway. The infirmary door rebounded against Azkadellia's hand and thudded against the wall yet again before coming to a standstill half open. Cain forced himself to lower his revolver. "Princess," he said very, very calmly, "please do not ever do that again."

The quiet deadliness in his voice made her flinch for just a second. If Cain had not been a Tin Man at one point in time, he would not have even caught that much. He was surprised that he saw it all. The Witch was not a good person, but she was a very effective teacher. Very few people surprised Azkadellia now and hardly anyone could read her even if they did. Even now, he had to admire her because she showed no sign that she knew that he saw her flinch at his tone.

"My apologies, Mr. Cain," she said, insincerely. "Excuse me if my concern for my sister has outweighed any polite considerations for others in her vicinity." Az ignored the chair by DG's side entirely in favor of kneeling and grasping her sister's hand tightly in both of her own. "Oh, Deeg,"  
she breathed softly. Her voice was so soft he almost missed it completely. The anguish in her voice was obvious and Cain found himself feeling just a tiny bit sorry for her.

"Neither wound is life threatening, Highness," he offered. "She'll be fine before you know it."

Az was weeping silently. "It should not have been her," she said. Her voice sounded perfectly normal, even politely distant despite the tears. "She's too good for this," she finished and her voice did break just slightly at that point. It was just for a second, and then there was no sign that the façade had ever cracked at all.

"Highness?" Cain questioned. "What do you mean? Do you know what happened?" A horrible suspicion grew in him. Was this the end result of a plot laid down by the Witch years ago just in case something like this happened?

Azkadellia sent him a brief withering look that let him know that she knew what he was thinking. "No, Cain, the Witch didn't plan this," she said. He instantly felt bad, but refused to back down. She reached across the bed and plucked the dagger from his grasp. She held it with the cloth still wrapped around the hilt, but allowed the blade to show. "The Witch didn't plan this," the princess repeated with distaste. "Instead, she prevented it."

Cain felt his eyes widen in surprise.

"The Witch prevented murder?!" Glitch's astonished voice dripped sarcasm from the still open doorway.

Azkadellia smirked briefly in acknowledgement of the irony but her dark brown eyes were deadly serious when she replied. "No, Ambrose. She saved the OZ."

Cain instinctively reacted to block the doorway before Glitch and the enraged noble behind him could reach the princess. He heaved a sigh at the outraged cries. "Princess, was that necessary?" he asked dryly.

Azkadellia didn't say anything at first, but only looked at her sister. "No, Mr. Cain," she whispered. "It wasn't necessary but it is true."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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Cain pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to Lord Ossin shriek hysterically at Princess Azkadellia. This was rapidly turning into one of the days that he could almost wish he was still in the Tin Suit. Almost. The nobleman's voice grew louder and shriller with each accusation he hurled toward the Princess.

"What do you mean, the Witch saved the OZ?" the man was nearly apoplectic with rage. "My daughter died in the uprising! She died! I bet it was slow and painful. The Witch was an evil seductress bent on the destruction of the OZ and everything your ancestors worked to create. She wanted to make the Eclipse permanent and cast the land in shadow for all time! She was a monster and for all that's holy I won't stand here…"

Cain let the rest of the man's diatribe fade into the background. With each point he made, he stamped his velvet-clad leg in emphasis and jabbed a scrawny finger at Azkadellia. Stamp. Jab. Stamp. Jab. With every jab, the princess grew more guarded and more aloof. She made no attempt to interrupt him, but that was probably for the best at this point. The man might as well let out whatever was eating at him. At least Cain had managed to move everyone into the hallway. All this yelling was sure to bring guards along sooner rather than later and he did not want DG to be wakened by the noise.

Glitch stood against the wall across from the infirmary door, shooting nervous glances back and forth between Lord Ossin and Azkadellia. Once he made a motion as if to interfere, but Az just held up one graceful hand without ever taking her attention away from Lord Ossin and Glitch subsided in confusion. The lord was so caught up in his ranting that he did not even notice the byplay, the more fool him. Any person that had it in them to make it in court life would have immediately noticed and processed the implications of that one simple gesture. Hell, Cain recognized it and he was a long time away from that life. Even if Lord Ossin's rant had not proved what an idiot he was, his ignorance certainly did. What was the Lord Commander thinking, anyway? Yes, Azkadellia was the image of the Witch but she retained her own standing as Crown Princess of the OZ. The Queen made that eminently clear simply by allowing Azkadellia to remain with the family and granting her all of the honors and privileges – and yes, duties - of her title.

Cain had to admit that the Crown Princess had done more than anyone but the Queen to restore the OZ and its ruling monarchy. Azkadellia was always in the middle of everything, whether it be meetings with the Council on Longcoat troop movements or aiding researchers with the restoration of Glitch's brain. She attended every memorial service and helped DG learn the customs and expectations of the OZ. She made appearances to every diplomat and dignitary. Many times, it was only Raw's quiet, certain support that made those appearances possible. Every single person in the OZ knew Azkadellia only as the Witch and the princess never visibly broke once underneath the weight of their suspicions.

"They need someone to blame, Deeg," he overheard her telling DG once, after DG took exception to the attitude of one of the Guild representatives. "You can't be angry at them every time someone allows their grief and anger to get the better of them. For 15 years, my face has been the reason behind every death and oppression. Just because I personally was not at fault does not make things better or okay for the people that suffered."

There was silence for a moment, then a sullen-sounding comment from DG. Azkadellia laughed, but it sounded sad. "Oh, little sister, how I love you," she said, so quietly that Cain barely heard her. "When people see me, they see the Witch. I think a part of them always will, even the children that are too young to truly remember those times. I can't tell you what a comfort it is to know that you love me for myself."

The day Cain overheard that conversation between the sisters was the day he started to respect the Crown Princess as her own, independent person. She would always be the Witch, to some degree, but she recognized it and took steps to be herself, as well. More than anyone else he knew, he could appreciate the effort it took to separate how people saw her from who she really was.

Now that same woman listened calmly to the verbal abuses heaped on her by another petty, small-minded person and gave no sign of the sadness he knew it caused her. "My Lord Ossin," she said quietly into a lull, "I did not know your daughter. I am sorry she was a victim of the Witch and I would do anything I could to bring her back to you." It was the same speech she gave to every injured party screaming for her blood, but somehow it sounded equally genuine each time. "It cannot possibly make up for the loss of your family, but I shall grant your family full reparation for her loss."

The nobleman grew red in the face."You're sorry? You'll grant me reparation? At heart, you're just like the Witch. You just want more blood!" Before he could say anything else, Glitch leapt forward and delivered a punishing blow to his face.

"Say that again," the advisor hissed. The hapless man snarled in anger and Glitch grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall. "We've all lost people, but think, man!" he urged.

Azkadellia slashed a hand downward. "Enough!" she snapped, and Glitch left Lord Ossin to stand heavily against the wall. "My Lord, I understand your loss," she said gravely. "I, too, lost nearly everyone ever dear to me." She stopped for a moment and stared at him for a long time. "I understand your anger," she said softly, "but it does not excuse treason."

Lord Ossin gaped at her for a long minute. "T-treason? Your Highness?"

"You accused me of still harboring the Witch, didn't you? You accused me of committing bloodshed against my own subjects for nothing but personal pleasure. You implicated that I would continue to do so." Azkadellia paced forward, clasping her slender arms behind her back. "I am still Crown Princess, my Lord. My mother the Queen has not seen fit to remove my title or my responsibilities from me at the Witch's death. That makes your statements treason in the OZ."

All color drained from the lord's face. "No! No, Your Highness, that's not what I meant!" The words spilled from his lips faster and faster. "Of course I don't think you want more strife. The stress of my position, my grief…."

The princess continued to speak right over his protestations of loyalty and innocence. "I think I shall have to speak to the Lord Marshall about your overwhelming grief and how your dedication to your position has left you incapable of doing what is best for the OZ and its peoples right now. Perhaps you should go rest, Lord Ossin. It has, after all, been a very difficult day so far." Her tone didn't quite imply that she thought he was useless, but it came close. "Ambrose, why don't you escort Lord Ossin to his quarters for a much deserved rest?"

Cain watched silently as Glitch took the babbling man in hand and steered him toward the rooms for visiting nobility. The man seemed remarkably docile all of a sudden. He smirked to himself. He had no use for men that couldn't stand up and fight for what they believed, whether it came down to violence or only to mere words.

Azkadellia turned to speak to a guard. "If anyone else disturbs my sister in this manner again, you will escort them forcibly away and deny them access to the palace grounds until explicit orders otherwise are given by the Queen or Consort, myself, or Commander Cain. I don't want a mouse to squeak in this corridor until she is awake." She watched in satisfaction as the guard came to attention and saluted sharply.

The princess disappeared into the infirmary for a moment. When she came out, Cain could tell that she was much calmer and more collected than she had been as she listened to Lord Ossin spew filth toward her in the hallway. It never failed to amaze him in the six months since the defeat of the Witch how the younger, wilder sibling was a calming and soothing influence on the older, calmer one. She smiled absently at them then moved down the hallway toward her own quarters, issuing orders as she went.

"Glitch, arrange for a full Council meeting as soon as DG is awake and able to attend one. Speak to the Lord Marshall about a possible replacement for Lord Ossin. Men like that have little place in getting the OZ back on its feet. Clear everything through Mother, of course, but I'll update her in person in a few moments so that shouldn't be an issue. If it is, come back to me and I'll resolve it." She handed Glitch a slender Seal in the form of a ring. "Issue a proclamation to the immediate Central City area that everything is under investigation. We might as well keep everyone as calm as possible, since they're not in any immediate danger."

Cain raised an eyebrow. "Begging your pardon, Highness, but how do we know that? They didn't get what they wanted – meaning the death of you and your sister. So why should they act predictably now?" He found himself fingering his weapon absentmindedly again at the thought of anyone attacking DG again. He was not able to protect her from the first attempt but if he had his way, there would not be a second one.

"You don't know that," she said coolly. "But I do, because I know what they were after. The general population is safe and does not have to worry about any kind of attack. I could be the Witch all over again and actively look for ways to hurt them and they still wouldn't be in danger from the people behind this particular attempt."

The rebuke in her voice stung, but Cain was getting irritated with being kept in the dark. "Well, who is behind it, Highness? If I have some idea, I might actually be able to help your family before another one is brutally attacked and severely injured." His sarcasm showed only in the flatness of his voice and the tenseness of his shoulders. Her eyes flashed at his for just a moment in what he thought was hurt, but glanced away again before he was sure.

"Commander," she said formally, "I do know what we're up against and I understand your desire to protect our family. I appreciate it immensely. I can tell you in all honesty that we do not need to expect another attack immediately, but I am not willing to talk about the particulars until DG is awake and rested. More than any of us, she is going to have to be the one to address the problem."

Cain thought her dark brown eyes were the saddest things he had ever seen in his life as she caught his gaze once again and held it with her own. "I wish more than anything that I could leave my baby sister out of this. Please tell me you will keep her safe no matter what," she said softly.

Cain closed his eyes. The thought of DG in danger again left his gut a churning, aching mess and fired a deep desire to do anything he could protect her. He would not let anyone ever hurt her again as long as he lived; it was as simple as that. He met Azkadellia's eyes again with a sharp, burning blue gaze. "Your Highness, I will," he vowed, "no matter what happens."

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A/N: I know this was a lot of boring (relatively!) character development, but I thought it was essential to the storyline. Don't get too bored. I promise more actiony action is coming up soon. Or at least a few more pieces of the plot puzzle!

Thanks for the reviews. You guys make me happy that people enjoy my story.


	4. Chapter 4

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Disclaimer:

Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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"Princess? Come on, kid, you've got to wake up now." The voice forced its way into the comfortable darkness cradling her body. She whimpered a little and turned her head away from the voice. She did not want to wake up. There was pain and fear if she woke up. No, it was much better to stay unconscious for a little bit longer. With any luck at all, everything would be back to normal in the morning. A rough hand touched her face and stroked it gently. "Come on, DG. You know I wouldn't wake you up if it wasn't important."

After a few more minutes, DG realized that the voice just was not going to leave her in peace. With a reluctant groan she opened her eyes and tried to turn away from the light stabbing into her eyes. It was just too bad for her that she turned onto her wounded shoulder. With a yelp of pain she hunched over and waited breathlessly for the pain to subside. The sharp, grating pain brought back all of her memories and she yelped again, this time in panic. "Az?" she asked frantically. "Where's Az? Is she okay?" She struggled to kick off the light blanket and sit up straight. "What about my parents?"

Cain restrained her as gently as he could, cursing himself and the doctors as he saw the pain wash across her pale features. DG had lost way too much blood to be awake so soon. "Princess, look at me," he said in a firm voice. "It's just me, Deeg, I've got you," he continued as she kept fighting him. "Everyone's fine, I swear. Az is in a royal rage that you're injured, but since you're the only one and you're relatively okay, Glitch managed to head her off at the pass after she fired Lord Ossin."

That caught her attention long enough for her to stop trying to get up too quickly. "Az fired the Lord Marshal's own assistant? He's a noble on the council!" she gasped. "What on earth happened?"

Cain rolled his eyes. Only Deeg would be severely injured in an assassination attempt, insist on walking herself to the med hall, wake up with no pain meds and then be more interested in her sister's altercation with a grasping toady of an official than her own wounds. "I'm sure you'll get the entire story out of Headcase later; he was there to witness the whole thing." He helped her to sit up gently, pushing back the hair that fell into her eyes so that she did not have to move either of her injured arms. The dark strand slipped like silk through his fingers as he tucked it carefully behind one of her ears. The pain showing on her face eased a little bit once she caught her breath, but still etched small lines around her eyes and mouth. Cain watched her for a moment, then brought over a small cup. "Here, Princess," he said gruffly. "Drink this."

DG sniffed it cautiously. It smelled like cough medicine on the Other Side. "I don't have a cold," she sulked, pushing it away.

Cain looked confused for a second before sighing and pushing it right back at her. "DG, drink the medicine. It's for pain, not a cold. And you're going to need it because the Queen and Heir want to hold a Council meeting. They want you to be there and apparently you've slept long enough for the day." Cain's tone made it obvious that he did not feel the same way. "They refuse to tell anyone what is happening, including the guards, until you are there to hear it also. All anyone has been able to get out of the Heir is that if affects you more than anyone else." DG looked up at him, pain and confusion swimming in her blue eyes. He swore under his breath. "I don't know, DG. They won't tell me anything." His frustration came through more than he wanted, because all of a sudden DG drew away. She looked so small and vulnerable as she drank down the cup. Despite a grimace at the horrible bitter taste, she made no complaint.

Cain studied her face for a long moment, then swore again and reached out to touch her face gently. "Princess," he said softly. She avoided his glance, twisting the light blanket with her good hand. "DG," he said, a moment later. That got her attention and she looked up at him hesitantly. He caressed her cheek then dropped his hand over her uninjured one. "DG, this is not your fault," he murmured. "You can't think like that. I'm sure that Azkadellia has good reasons for waiting for you before telling anyone what she or the Witch knows." As soon as he said it, he realized that he really did believe that. The Heir had proved herself in too many ways and in too many different situations over the last six months for him to hold onto any anger at her reticence now. If she did know something, it was something DG deserved to hear first. Some of that belief must have registered with DG, because she gradually relaxed and looked less haunted.

"Can I at least change before we go?" she asked. When Cain touched her cheek and looked at her so intently, as if he could see right through her, she had realized just how dirty she was. Granted, the doctor and the nurses had apparently sponged away most of the blood, but dirt and blood were splattered liberally all over her clothes. She gingerly raised her right hand to smooth her uninjured wrist down her hair and winced. It was probably best not to even wonder about what her hair looked like right now. With a gentle squeeze, Cain released her hand.

"I think I can find a clean shirt for you," he said with a slight smile. "I'm just not sure you can put it on by yourself."

DG flushed and glared up at him. "Try me," she challenged, blue eyes sparkling. He simply brought her a very loose button down shirt and tossed it on her lap. After a second glare from her, he turned his back. DG swung her legs over the bed to rest them on the floor. She had no shoes on. Gently, she worked her bandaged hand under her shirt hem to pull it up over her head. After some fancy manuevering, she managed to get it off without jarring her painful shoulder. The shirt Cain gave her had obviously come from a guard as it had the same insignia embroidered on collar and cuffs. She was almost certainly going to swim in it. With a silent sigh, she managed to justify it by telling herself it conveyed honor to the men that risked their lives for her on a daily basis to wear their shirts when she was injured.

Every stifled grunt and sigh coming from behind him made Cain clench his teeth in anger. Why was the girl so stubborn? It would not cost her anything to accept his help. Finally, after a long silence and a lot of rustling, DG cursed. He stayed where he was, and after a few more moments she heaved a sigh. "Okay, Cain, I can't button it by myself with both arms injured. As you know. Can you please help me?" He turned instantly and caught up the collar of the shirt in his hands, trying to ignore both the flush in her cheeks and the swell of cloth covered breasts on either side of his knuckles.

"All you had to do was ask, darling." His voice was a little rough, but he managed to ignore it. From the dark look on her face, DG didn't even hear the catch in his voice. He thanked Ozma silently for small favors and held up shoes. "Shall I help you put these on, too?"

Eventually the two managed to get into the corridor and head toward the Council chamber. Once DG was standing and caught her breath, she found that she did not need any support to stand upright and walk under her own power. The shirt was as huge on her as she thought it might be, but it was baggy enough that it actually did not rub up on the bandages on her shoulder. Maybe Cain new what he was doing after all. The thought brought a smile to her face and reminded her of something else. "Hey, Cain," she said, "I thought you weren't supposed to be back for another couple of days. Did someone call you?"

He was silent for a minute but shook his head after she looked at him. "No, I came back on my own. I had no idea there was a situation. I happened to reach the palace gates just as the guards locked down the grounds." A wry smile turned up one corner of his mouth. "Rob pulled a gun on me, as a matter of fact." His admiration of the guards came through and Deeg shot a sideways look at him.

"You mean that it makes you happy that a guard pulled a gun on the head of the guards?" she asked, suprised. "Shouldn't they all know you or something?"

Cain shrugged. "Sure they know me. I train with them, after all. But it's a good guard that doesn't trust to familiarity in an emergency situation and that kind of awareness should be encouraged, not punished."

"But what if they shot you?" DG persisted.

He heaved a brief sigh and shot her a wry look. "Princess, in a way, that's the point. So long as I don't do anything stupid and act within the parameters I know they've been trained with, I don't have to worry about being shot. All the men your father chose are good, steady men with a lot of experience. They're not going to react out of panic." She still did not look convinced and Cain patted her gently on her non-injured shoulder. "Just promise me you won't yell at them," he said. "Trust me when I say they did a good job out there today."

"I do," she said softly. "Lieutentant Mikkelson and the other guards were so quick to respond once Toto yelled." A hint of tears clogged her voice. "Is he okay, Cain?" she whispered, as if afraid to voice her wish out loud.

Cain quickly placed an arm around her waist and gave her a quick squeeze. "Tutor's fine, Princess. A little shaken up, like the rest of us, but you were the worst of the injured, so you know he's fine." They finally reached the Council chamber and he signaled the guards to push open the doors. "Just a few more hours, and you can cleaned up," he murmured.

The guards snapped off a respectful salute as they passed through the doors and DG laughed, albeit a little shakily. "I think I would even face the Witch on that balcony again for a hot bath," she whispered back. She hoped she kept her voice low enough that no one could overhear but then they were in the chamber and it didn't matter anymore. Drawing herself up and trying desperately to look like she was not in too much agony, she plastered a calm, neutral smile on her face and walked toward one of the two chairs left open. This was likely to be a long, long meeting, despite Cain's promises.

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**A/N**: I know I promised quick updates, but at least you know that I haven't utterly forgotten the story! I had the worst case of writer's block trying to figure out how to segue from the actionnd character building to the storyline itself, but I think I'm okay now. Updates still won't be as often as I like because work sucks the life out of me, but I refuse to let this become a "dead" story, so no worries. Thank you to everyone that reviews and encourages me. I soooo appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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Azkadellia, Heir to the Outer Zone and once called the Witch, watched calmly as the accustomed Council members and some close friends of the family assembled in the meeting chamber. Most of them were in a high state of excitement or agitation, since by this point, nearly everyone on the grounds had heard of the attack on the royal family. They tended to whisper loudly to each other and gesticulate wildly as they told each other one wild rumor after another. She mentally rolled her eyes, but was careful to keep her expression nearly totally neutral, with perhaps just a touch of concern. She knew that few people outside of her family were in danger, but nobody else believed that and it was important that everyone be kept as calm as possible.

Although a low hum of conversation continued to sweep across the chamber, people were becoming more and more apprehensive the longer the meeting took to start. Az bit her lip very gently on the inside where no one else could see; where was her sister anyway? Wyatt Cain promised to have her up and at the meeting as soon as possible. In fact, it was imperative that DG be there since Az simply refused to tell anybody what the Outer Zone was up against without her younger sister present to hear everything firsthand.

After a few more minutes, the guard swung the door open and ushered DG and Wyatt Cain inside before locking the doors securely behind them. It was merely a custom of the OZ Council, but hearing the locks click in the hollow chamber made more than one person look nervous and unsettled this time. Az ignored the others and watched her sister carefully. The younger princess looked tired and even Cain taking her arm to ease her into a chair did not prevent the pain from flashing across her features. Az fought down rage. Short of resurrecting DG's attacker to kill him herself, there was nothing to be done except to focus on preventing a future occurrence.

Then the Queen rose smoothly to her feet and everyone fell instantly silent. "Everyone is here now. Good. I am sure that rumors of an attack on palace grounds today have spread across the city by this point. The rumors are true." Low murmurs broke out among the councilors but the Queen continued to speak over them. "I don't think I need to tell everyone in this room that keeping what you hear in this room is in your own best interests. You are here as a courtesy and to help me do some damage control in the city until we are certain the danger is past. Since the Consort and I believe that you can only do your jobs with the actual facts, let me share the events of today with you so that we might discuss them."

The Heir heaved a strictly mental sigh. She could not remember Mother always being this formal and wordy, but supposed that it must have always been this way. _Perhaps I was just too young to remember clearly, _she thought wryly. Certainly, most of her memories regarding official meetings and other acts of a ruler came from the Witch. There was definitely no comparison between the two styles. The Witch ruled through fear and coercion while the Queen won her support through compassion and by making everyone feel involved in making her decisions. Not that Az really thought that fear was better, but it definitely took less time to get to the point. She made an effort to drag her attention back to the meeting.

"Early this morning, two men managed to infiltrate the palace grounds. Two perimeter guards were killed during this process and the unknown men found a place to hide and wait for the princesses." DG paled so much that she looked as if she might faint in a moment. She started to stand, but Cain gently pushed her back into the chair. Az was pretty sure that she was the only way that noticed how her younger sister trembled. The Queen had bowed her head a moment in sorrow and did not even notice her daughter's reaction.

"Apparently, they waited until they saw the princesses step outside and separated to attack them once they were out of immediate sight of the guards in the gardens. Azkadellia remained unharmed, and killed her attacker. She summoned the guards at the same time DG was attacked. Azkadellia and her guards were too far away to help, but Tutor managed to raise the alarm in time for nearby guards to help. DG also managed to kill her attacker, but sustained serious injuries in the process." For the first time, everyone on the council actually looked at DG and the young princess squirmed under the weight of their gazes. It was clear that she came to the meeting directly from the healing hall. Other than the too baggy clean shirt, she was a mess. Blood and dirt streaked her pants and part of her face where one of the nurses had not gotten it completely clean. Her hair was tangled and hung in limp, dirty strands around her face, although it was clear that someone, probably Cain, had taken time to pick out any leaves or sticks. Azkadellia was struck suddenly by how similar she looked to the girl she was six months ago when she saved the OZ from the Witch. DG was weary, in pain and exhausted, but still trying to pretend she was okay long enough to do her duty.

"How badly are you injured, Princess?" a kind voice asked. It was the Lord Marshal and not for the first time, Az blessed his calm presence on Mother's Council. It would be much more in keeping with his position to ask about the attackers first, or how two young women managed to defeat them without any guards nearby. Instead, he took some time to ask about her wellbeing. Az was surprised to feel a rush of gratitude at the consideration. She was used to people not caring about her, but she refused to let people shun her younger sister.

"I am well enough, thank you, Lord Marshal," DG responded, a little bit of surprise coloring her voice. After a moment, he gently encouraged her to tell her side of things. "Tutor and I were in the garden for our normal magic lesson when we were attacked." She kept the story concise and simple, neither exaggerating her injuries nor downplaying them.

At the end of her recitation, the Consort leaped to his feet and paced. Ahamo was incensed that his daughters were attacked during broad daylight. "Do we know anything at all about these men?" he asked impatiently. "Is it just a run of the mill assassination attempt against the royal family or is something else going on?"

Lieutenant Mikkelson stood up. "The bodies had no identification on them. Their clothes were plain. They had no remarkable weapons except for these." He left two wrapped bundles on the council table. Ahamo stalked over and flipped up the cloth covering one of them. The Consort went a little bit pale and reached over hesitantly to uncover the other one. He shut his eyes very briefly.

"What is it, man?" The Lord Marshal also stood up to lean over and look at the weapons. "Huh. I have never seen anything like this. If I had, I would remember it. They're certainly distinctive enough, if totally impractical. Is there any sign of poison on them?" At the lieutenants' negative, the Lord Marshal reached over and picked one up gingerly. "They look very old." The rest of the Councilors and guards gathered close to look at the copper weapons. Azkadellia stayed in her seat. She already knew what the knives looked like and she had no desire to view one close up.

"So what is it?" DG's voice cut through the babble. She sounded nervous. "I mean, outside of being some kind of weird ceremonial copper knife that doesn't seem to tarnish, what's so special about it?" She reached out for it in curiosity.

"Don't touch it!" Azkadellia and Cain shouted in unison. Cain grabbed her hand and yanked it down. DG winced in pain as the abrupt movement stretched her wound, but pride made her bite back the yelp that tried to come out.

The Lord Marshal dropped the dagger he was holding. The clatter it made on the Council table was jarring in the sudden silence. "I thought the Lieutenant said it was safe," he snapped.

"The lieutenant said they are not poisoned," Azkadellia corrected coolly. "However, it is as safe as any blade ever is if you are not a magic user, Lord Marshal."

"Then you recognize this weapon, Princess?" the Lord Marshal asked.

"Oh, yes," the Heir said. "I recognize it. I would think that any member of the House of Gale should recognize it." DG flushed and the imposing figure of her sister unbent enough to flash a reassuring smile at her. "You couldn't know, DG, you were just a little girl when Mother sent you out of the OZ."

The Queen approached, looking very shaken. "It has been so long. I- I didn't even think to ever consider…" the Queen let her words trail off and grasped her Consort's hand for comfort. He twined his fingers with hers and squeezed in reassurance. After a second of accepting his strength she pulled herself up and released his hand. "Is this what I think it is, Azkadellia?"

"Yes, Mother. It is a ritual weapon of the Lourden." The expressions of the people gathered in the room ranged from grim comprehension to confusion. Azkadellia looked directly at her sister. "I fear that you are in great danger, DG."

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**A/N:** The Great Writing Spirit is upon me! Everyone seems to be interested in the story, which only makes me want to write more. So thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Tin Man, Wizard of OZ or anything associated with it belong in no way, shape, or form to me. Sadly, this includes Cain's gun. For some reason, there's no money either. ::pouts::

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"_You're in great danger, DG."_ The words seem to echo and draw out again in DG's mind_. Danger. Danger. Great danger_. Azkadellia looked straight at DG when she made the somewhat dramatic, very public statement. The Crown Princess practically dripped sincerity and gravity. _It suits her_, DG thought somewhat vaguely. Her sister stood very still and very composed. It lent dignity to one that lacked for none of it to begin with. _Then again, she's always been the serious one_.

All such thoughts disappeared when the words actually started to make sense to her. "I don't understand," she said, very slowly. "Wouldn't you be in danger too, Az? Actually, wouldn't you be in more danger? You said the knife is dangerous to magic users and yours is much stronger than mine is." She raised a hand to push a strand of blood-matted hair away from her eyes and realized that her hand was just barely shaking. Fear? It had to be, but she did not feel afraid.

Tutor frowned. "Actually.." He just barely got the word out of his mouth before the more forceful Lord Marshal interrupted. DG just barely caught Az in the act of giving Tutor a stern look. She seemed to be counseling him to silence, but why? That seemed very unwise where any member of the Council could catch her and Az was the epitome of wise when dealing with nobles.

"The princess has a good point, Highness," the Lord Marshal was saying. "Why should she be in danger, but not you, our Crown Princess?"

Az grimaced. "It was poor wording on my part. I apologize to the Council. It is not so much that I am not in danger at all, just that I am not in danger right now. Or rather, I am in minimal danger right now. Now that the initial plan to take us both down at once has failed, they will concentrate on sacrificing DG first."

"Wait, what?" DG yelped. "Sacrifice? What the hell?" Her words were lost in a sudden wave of noise as each Council member tried their best to be heard over their neighbors. She twisted carefully, suppressing a twinge of pain, to look up at Cain. He was standing by her right shoulder and no amount of slouching and casual dress could disguise his tension. She could just barely see his left hand wrapped around his belt tightly. She would bet he was trying to avoid resting it on his six shooter. His face was stiffly expressionless until he saw her looking at him. He looked at her carefully, eyes moving as he caught every nuance of her expression. A corner of his mouth twitched down. He leaned down just slightly as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"The guards and I aren't going to let anything happen to you, princess," he murmured loud enough for her to hear. "For now, let's just figure out what is going on so we can figure out how to keep you safe." With a gentle squeeze, he let go of her shoulder. She took a deep, steadying breath. On the other side of the table, by the Queen and Consort, Glitch caught her eye and winked almost imperceptibly. She let a little of the strain leave her shoulders, already feeling more confidant now that she had her friends with her. She had known these two men longer than anyone else in the OZ, even her sister in a way. Their concern for her left her feeling as if the ground was back under her feet and she had a solid foundation again.

After a few moments, the noise continued unabated. Cain heaved a deep sigh then walked up to the table and smacked his hand down as hard as he could. In the large chamber, the sharp, cracking noise was easily heard over the general din. Voices cut off in mid babble and everyone looked their way. "Excuse me folks," Cain said forcefully, "but it seems to me that if we want to know what is happening than we really ought to let the Crown Princess tell us without eight dozen interruptions every few seconds." He spread a glare evenly across the table, including Glitch for good measure. After a heartbeat with no further interruption, he gave a satisfied nod toward Azkadellia. "Your Highness, if you would continue please. I seem to have heard the name Lourden somewhere before and I seem to remember the name connected to some sort of secret society. So if you could please describe to your sister what we're dealing with I think all of us would be greatly relieved to know what is going on."

Azkadellia blinked in surprise before allowing a small, appreciative smirk to spread over her lips. "Why, thank you, Captain. I think that a history lesson would be fairly useful myself." Glitch grinned openly. Ahamo only rolled his eyes.

The Queen cleared her throat meaningfully. "Azkadellia, darling, if you would please continue?"

The princess subsided and clasped her hands behind her back again. Cain was slowly recognizing that as a sign she was feeling defensive or under strain. Her eyebrows drew together low over her eyes and she pursed her lips silently for several minutes. Finally, she relaxed and faced the Council fully once more.

"Lords and Ladies, you will have to bear with me for a little bit. The Lourden date back to the beginnings of the OZ itself and is irrevocably entwined with our earliest history. It is necessary to review some of this history in order to give you a clear picture of the fullest extent of our danger from them.

"It is impossible to know fully the origins of our world. Many say that we were once one with the Other Side and complete as one world. As time passed, we slowly diverged from one another, becoming separate and whole in and of ourselves. This theory explains many of similarities between the Outer Zone and the Other Side. The Consort has even stated often that we remind him of the Other Side as it might have been in the 'fifties' with magic. That is a time period in the Outer Side." The Consort nodded slowly as Council members looked in his direction.

"Others say that we travel along the same universal path as the Other Side, but have always been separate and wholly our own. Almost as if we were two pages in the same book; touching, but never quite one. This would also explain some of the similarities. Any discrepancies could no doubt be explained away as a coincidence bound to occur with two worlds so closely linked on the universal plain.

"There is a third, smaller group that maintains the Outer Zone has always been its own world and is completely free of any influence from the Other Side or any other worlds or universal planes. Similarities are strictly coincidental even if reports of them are to be believed at all and differences are celebrations of all that make us a unique world. This is especially true of that which we call magic. This theory is a little bit harder to find evidence for than the others, for all that it seems to make the most sense on the surface. No history or artifact has been discovered older than the Ancients and when you put it into terms of other worlds, this amount of time is nearly negligible.

"Regardless of our real origins, magic is the property of the Outer Zone that the Lourden base their existence around." Azkadellia paused to take a small sip of water from a nearby goblet. As she drank, she observed the faces of the Council members. They had all settled back down into their seats and so far, none of them looked bored. DG looked positively enthralled, but then, this was all new to her.

"Understand, my Lords, my Ladies, that magic is the heart of the OZ. It is all around us - in the air, in the water, in the very soil itself. When the Witch took control, she usurped much of this elemental magic for herself. The OZ was not dying because the Witch was trying to destroy it. She merely attempted to make it over in her own image. As a side-effect of draining the elemental magic from the fabric of the OZ, the land began to die. The Fields of the Papay, for example, rely on soil steeped in rich earth magic in order to flourish. My sister found this out personally, when she traveled through the Fields a second time in order to find the Emerald. She and her party were cornered by a hunting party. In her desperation, she called upon her magic and caused a single tree to blossom with fruit again. In a field of desolation and destruction there is now a tiny oasis of life. DG's magic was small and done in panic; therefore the result is small. However, she released just enough magic into the earth to allow that one tree to bloom so that the Papay let them pass safely.

"There are other examples. The weather has become cooler in the last 15 years as fire has seeped out of our air. The suns still shine, but there was less elemental fire to become charged by their heat and conduct it to us. Everything seems just a tiny bit duller, just a shade less rich. This is because the air is drained of elemental air and it was this element that made everything shine so. Central City is often referred to as the Shining City. Its silvery sheen is due to the elemental air that is entwined with our breathable air.

"Nearly every aspect of the OZ is dependent on this elemental magic. Well, like the theories of the origins of our world have developed into widely different ideas, the roles of magic in the OZ have developed different followers. All of these groups believe something unique about the magic of the OZ and how it should be used. Many of these groups are officially recognized by the Gale Family and the OZ Council. The Guilds are four such groups."

Azkadellia stood and paced slowly around the table toward the ceremonial dagger resting near the Lord Marshal. With a slight grimace of distaste that was obvious to everyone, she picked it up. Cain was watching from under the brim of his hat and noticed that she made sure that the silk was between her fingers and the weapon itself at all times. Even when she held it securely in her hand, she held it tilted away from her body as if it might leap up toward her at any moment.

"Of course, not all of the groups formed around the Outer Zone's magical properties are peaceful and benign. The Lourden are among the most militant and secretive sects ever to come to the Crown's attention. To be quite honest, we know almost nothing about them. What we do know is quite limited. We believe their members come only from family or close friends; son from father, daughter from mother. Obviously, this makes for a very tight-knit group that does not easily fracture. They are fanatically obsessive and totally devoted to their cause. They are utterly ruthless toward that end. We are aware that they prefer guerilla and assassin maneuvers to acquire their desired results. "

The Lord Marshal nodded slowly. "I remember now," he said. "They were the group responsible for the assassination of Crown Princess Sadea Gale. It triggered the Succession War. The Gales were able to remain in power. It was thought that the following manhunt successfully destroyed the remaining Lourden members, although no one was ever able to confirm this, of course."

The Crown Princess shrugged elegantly and tapped the edge of the dagger on the table. "This is proof otherwise," she said. "No one else would use a weapon like this. No one else could, that was not trained in Lourden ritual or ceremony. Its purpose is unique and singular; to return magic to the Outer Zone."

DG blinked, stunned as the implications hit her. "But where do they get that magic?" she asked, afraid she already knew the answer. She felt Wyatt Cain go still and tense next to her.

Azkadellia gave another elegant shrug and that cool, distant smile perfected by the Witch. "From us, little sister. From all the magic users in the Outer Zone that dare to rape our world." For just that one moment, the princess managed to sound just like the Witch again, complete with the little smirk she had always put onto the end of her words. "You see, the Lourden believe that to remove the magic of the OZ is sacrilegious. In their creed - as much of it as we can piece together - magic is the most precious commodity the OZ has. Its use by and for one individual for 'selfish' purposes is a crime equivalent to rape or murder. For centuries now, the Lourden have sacrificed magic users back to the OZ with this."

She held the copper dagger aloft. "With a priest properly steeped in the Lourden rituals, this hollow hilt becomes the repository for a wielder's magic when the blade is lodged in his or her heart upon a 'sanctified' surface." Azkadellia's lips curled up a tiny bit in disgust. "I use the word extremely loosely. There is nothing pure or sanctified about the ceremony. It is torture followed by ritual murder. Supposedly, after the magic is released from the body, the Lourden ceremonially return it to the OZ."

The Queen reached out and beckoned to her oldest. "Azkadellia, my dear."

The Crown Princess shot her a stricken look. "Mother!" she protested. "I can't!"

"Yes, you can," the Queen, as always, was the very essence of calm and collected. "You can not use the knife as it was meant to be used, thank Glinda, but you can demonstrate to a small degree." The princess hesitated. "Now, my dear."

Azkadellia gritted her teeth and unwrapped the silk a little further from the dagger. "My Lord Marshal, if you will lend me your wrist, please? I will not cut you and the dagger will not hurt you." He looked a little unhappy, but complied, baring his wrist for the princess to lay the flat of the blade against it. As the princess promised, nothing happened that anyone could see. When Azkadellia lifted the blade again, the Lord Marshal heaved an audible sigh of relief. She then approached the Queen. "Mother." In her voice was a muted plea. The Queen merely bared a wrist, and as she had for the Lord Marshal, Azkadellia lay the flat of the blade on it. Almost immediately, the Queen gave a hitched gasped and tried to pull her wrist away. Everyone could clearly see a faint glow gather and swirl within the hollow hilt, bound there by visible light twining faintly with the bronze lattice. It was clear that the Crown Princess had to struggle to remove the knife from her mother's wrist.

"You see?" the Queen asked her Council in a still shaky voice. "It is drawn to magic. Azkadellia would never have been able to make that demonstration with herself or with DG. The dagger would sense the stronger magic and even without a Lourden priest would not want to let go of it. Such is its nature. Such is its purpose."

Unconsciously, DG wrapped her arms around her waist, ignoring the ache in her left shoulder. "We're born with it, though," she said. "The magic. How is it raping the OZ if it gives us the magic as a gift?"

"That is the Gale belief, my angel," the Queen said sadly. "That is the Guilds' belief as well. There are other beliefs in between the two, but it rarely breaks out in the violent form the Lourden have chosen."

Silence fell heavily over the entire Council as they processed everything. Eventually, Ahamo stirred slightly to gain their attention. "Now we have a basic history and background. The problem remains the same. The Lourden are after the magic held within the princesses. The question also remains - what do we do to prevent it?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: While I dream about them sometimes, I don't own or make money off of Tin Man, Wizard or Oz, or any of the characters. It is a grief.

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Azkadellia, Crown Princess of the Outer Zone, stopped herself from throwing a royal tantrum with only the most tenuous grip on what was left of her increasingly diminishing patience. _How does Mother deal with this nonsense day in and day out_? she seethed. She caught herself almost baring her teeth as yet another inept Councilor stood and started making a lengthy speech about how continuing to consolidate power and strength in Central City must remain the priority. Just in time, she managed to force her lips into a parody of an approving smile. The Council meeting itself did not phase her; first as the Heir and later as the Witch, she had sat through many countless sessions just like this. Normally, however, they at least served a purpose. This one did not. It could not, really, although she understood why the Queen chose to allow the appearance of control. _I really cannot stand this any longer._ She tightened the cold fingers clasped together in her lap until she was sure blood could not possibly be reaching them. Az never truly regretted the death of the Witch, but there were definitely times when the Witch's methods had a certain appeal. Screaming in rage and throwing objects around indiscriminately seemed quite appropriate at the moment. When would this accursed, pointless meeting end? She tuned out the monotonous drone and imagined ripping any number of objects into unidentifiable shreds. She did manage to avoid daydreaming about tearing people into tiny bits, but she regarded it as a useful exercise in discipline and control.

Across the table, her sister DG did not quite stifle a loud sigh. In spite of herself, Az felt her lips twist into a more genuine smile of amusement. Apparently, she was not the only one bored out of her mind after three hours of repetitive discussion. Her baby sister's attempt at interest failed utterly and Captain Cain had to discreetly elbow her more than once to pull her wandering attention back to the matter of hand. Under other circumstances, Az would have more sympathy for the Tin Man. DG was never easy to handle when she did not want to be somewhere or doing something.

Az lost her smile when she realized that Deeg was swaying in her seat. Her sister's normally pale complexion was whiter than her own and the dirty, bloodied hair hanging in stiff tangles around her face only emphasized the unhealthy pallor. Immediately, Az felt contrite for her amusement. DG always approached her duties so seriously that it was often easy to overlook her ignorance. Or, in this particular case, her pain and exhaustion. All of a sudden, it was easy to remember that only a few hours ago she was lying unconscious from her severe injuries. Cain shifted slightly. It looked as if he were just making himself a little more comfortable, but Azkadellia would bet her magic that he was supporting DG somehow. Nonetheless, as soon as the current speaker sat down with no additional discussion following his comments, she stood before anyone else could.

"Your majesties, my Lords and Ladies, I believe that we have covered as much as we can in one session with what we know now. I propose that we allow the Lord Marshal to gather more information in the ways he deems most suitable. In the meantime, we should rest and regroup. I, for one, am quite weary after today's events." A few Councilors were openly unhappy with no solid plan in place for preventing another incident, but Az noticed that the rest showed only dawning comprehension as they looked from her to the younger, obviously injured princess.

Her parents both shot her a grateful glance and stood to make final remarks to the Council and usher everyone out. Az waited a few moments before gracefully making her way over to her sisters side. "Will you live, Deeg?" she asked, with a ghost of a smile.

"Are you kidding me?" DG exclaimed. "Not only will I live, I may just nominate you for sainthood! A sort of glorified Ozma with a divine connection," she explained, knowing that her sister would need the explanation. "I cannot even believe that in three hours we just heard 21 variations of exactly the same speech." She pitched her voice upward in an imitation of a panicked, helpless old woman. "'Oh, dear, whatever are we to do?' 'Someone dared to attack the royal princesses after more than a decade of the Witch's rule. Reprehensible!' 'We don't know what's going on. Why don't we know what's going on?' 'We must carefully gather more information and not even so much as squeak until we know who these Lourden are!' Bah!" she finished up in disgust. "We could have covered all of that in twenty minutes and more or less without my ignorant presence." Cain just pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a silent sigh.

Azkadellia's smile became real. DG always amused Az, even in the worst or most uncomfortable situations. That was still true, although they weren't little girls any longer. Az often considered DG her light, just as their mother did. There was something inherently good about DG, despite her often irreverent and mischievous attitude. "I am sorry to say it, little sister, but I do not think we're done for the day yet," Az said gently, hating that her words caused her sister's good humor to disappear instantly.

"Sad, but true," their father said, coming up behind them. A sharp glance cut off Cain's protest before he could verbalize it. "Deeg, honey, I know you're hurt and you're both tired, but this is the best opportunity we're going to have to get anything useful done without the Council interfering."

"Is that why Mother let them go on for so long? I was beginning to wonder about that," DG grinned. "I've never known Az to let people randomly talk without saying anything useful at all, even if you guys allow it sometimes."

Ahamo mock cuffed her indignantly. "We're not quite senile yet, Deeg, thank you," he grinned back at her. "Go ahead and get cleaned up, but make it fast. You can use a topical pain killer – see the doctor for that – but don't take any oral pain medication. We'll have a private dinner and you need to be awake for that. Captain Cain, I expect you to join us. One hour, in the family dining room." With a gentle kiss for each daughter he strode off to escort the Queen from the chamber.

DG reached for her sister's hands, then gasped. "Az, your hands are freezing!" She chafed her sister's hands. "It's not cold in here, are you okay?"

Azkadellia pulled her sister into her arms as gently as she had spoken a moment ago. "Just strain. They will warm quickly with a bath. I love you, little sister," she said serenely. She made sure her eyes let her sister see how genuinely she meant that statement and was rewarded with DG's brilliant, happy smile.

"I love you too, Az. I'm going to go get cleaned up – an hour doesn't seem like much time when I feel like I've been backed over by a semi a couple of times."

"Where do you get these weird expressions, Deeg?" Az smiled yet again in spite of herself and turned DG toward Captain Cain's anxious gaze. "Go get your bath before that man has to call in reinforcements to keep the Councilors away from you." To Az's delight, a deep red flush creeped up DG's pale cheeks. Her younger sister turned and rushed over to Cain, but the hasty wave goodbye did nothing to distract the Crown Princess. Azkadellia laughed out loud and left the room leisurely to find her own bath. It was nice to have something to tease her sister with for a change, instead of the other way around. With the threat of the Lourden looming over their lives there wouldn't be a chance to use that ammunition for a while yet, but Az was nothing if not patient. Her time would come. As she walked down the hallway, the guards noticed the unusual brilliance of her smile.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer - yep, still not mine. I'm still pretty sad about it, too. Oh, well...maybe in another lifetime.

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Precisely an hour later, DG managed to wake up and drag herself out of the comforting warm water in the tub. It was a supreme effort, but the loud pounding on her door made it pretty clear that she had no choice. She rotated her neck to try and ease the stiffness from resting it unnaturally on the hard edge of the tub.

"DG, answer the door!" Cain's voice easily penetrated the two rooms and the thick wood of the two doors between the main door of her suite and her bathroom. "If you don't let me in and let me know you're okay, I'm breaking down this door!" he bellowed. Whimpering with pain under her breath, she wrapped herself in her robe and threw open her door. Cain stood poised mid-knock, intense light blue eyes taking in the image of the straggled-haired, dripping wet princess with no clothes on. "Erm...," he mumbled. Water trailed steadily down her back and shoulders, soaking through the thin robe. "You're running late?" he tried, trying not to look at her. She heaved a sigh and stepped aside to let him in. She did not really want to admit that she had fallen asleep after scrubbing away the blood and dirt. She turned to walk back to the bathroom, contemplating what excuse to give for running so late instead.

Cain instantly forgot all discomfort as the noticed the spreading stains on her bandages. "Deeg, you're bleeding everywhere again." He caught up with her and swung her around to face him. With no sign of the embarrassment he showed just a second ago, he pushed the robe off of her left shoulder to examine the blood seeping down her arm and chest from her wound. An inarticulate noise made its way from deep in his throat as he watched his princess bleed. Fending off her attempts to pull her robe closed, he pulled a tube of topical anesthetic out of his duster pocket and smeared it liberally all over her shoulder. He left her standing there with her robe falling off of her to go get a clean, damp cloth and clean the blood off of her skin. Then he rebound it tightly, much more effectively than she had done on her own, and only then seemed to realize how much of her skin was exposed to him from cleaning her up.

At any other time, his blush would have delighted her, but now DG only felt embarrassed that she had put him in this position. She was an adult. Shouldn't she be able to take care of herself? When he asked about her hand, she looked at it dully, surprised that it was not bleeding also. She unwound the bandage anyway and let him smear more of the deadening cream over the deep slash on her hand. Like the shoulder wound, the pain quickly lessened to a minor ache that was nothing compared to the deep, insistent throbbing agony she had been trying to ignore for the past four hours.

DG sat at the small vanity in her bathroom, leaving the door open so she could talk with Cain. "I fell asleep as soon as I finished washing," she offered after a moment, suddenly aware that she hadn't actually said anything to him yet and he was gazing at her with open worry in his eyes. It was almost funny; it didn't usually take so much effort to talk to him. Wyatt Cain was one of the few people she absolutely trusted in the OZ and that translated into having very open conversations with him on a regular basis. She was just so tired at the moment. Surely he would understand? She picked up her hairbrush in her uninjured hand and started to untangle her hair. She stopped the motion instantly as her numbed shoulder pulled uncomfortably and stared at the brush helplessly. DG's blue eyes filled with tears she just barely prevented herself from shedding.

Cain seemed to understand her dilemma and took the brush from her hand. "Here, Deeg, I can brush your hair. Unless you want me to call for a maid?" He was already pulling the brush gently through her snarled hair. His big hands felt good on her head and she managed a tiny shake in negation before closing her eyes and letting all other sensations go except for the gentle pull of the brush through her tangled hair. Each stroke seemed to release some of the tension she had pent up inside of her. _He had a wife,_ she thought absently. _He must have brushed her hair before_. He was too good at it to have never brushed a woman's hair before. It just felt so nice. He was finished with it too quickly.

DG managed to dredge up a few more words to go along with a halfhearted smile. "Thank you, Cain. Just give me one more moment and I'll be ready." He retreated into her sitting room to give her some privacy and she pulled on clothes – another soft, loose button-down shirt and a long skirt that was easy to pull on and lace tightly with only one hand . It took her longer than she would have liked to admit, but she refused to ask for help again and she was eventually able to make herself presentable. An awkward twist of her damp hair into a knot at her neck and she felt slightly more human. _Maybe dinner will be over swiftly. Maybe my parents want to make sure I'm okay and then I can come back here and sleep forever_. She glanced at her too-pale face in the mirror. _And maybe pigs will fly_. She sighed again, softly this time, and left her rooms.

The walk to the family dining room was silent. Cain walked next to her, not bothering to hide his increasingly worried glances. It was unlike DG to remain so quiet, no matter how tired she was. Even after a week of non-stop running, she managed to have lots of energy before her battle with the Witch as they approached the tower. Not for the first time, he questioned the wisdom of having the Council meeting and an intense family dinner so soon after the attack. He still only had the bare bones of what happened, but it was obvious that it affected the princess deeply. Uneasily, he wondered if her nightmares would be worse now. She tried so hard to pretend that she slept easily, but he knew better. The nights he wasn't watching over her himself to hear her cries in person, the guard he had posted at her door reported hearing them. Unconsciously, his face settled into harsh lines and his hand clenched around his gun.

He started when DG reached a hand across his body to pry his hand off of his gun. "It's okay, Wyatt," she said softly. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not," he replied, but he was relieved to see the ghost of his familiar princess anyway. She was very pale and grave, but somehow managed to look beautiful anyway.

A half smile passed across her lips briefly. "Well, I will be then. I'm just tired. Soon, I'll be able to sleep and then this will be nothing but a nightmare." The unwitting echo of his thoughts pushed him back into his grim thoughts and the rest of the walk through the halls went in silence on both of their parts.

The Queen and Consort both stood involuntarily as their youngest daughter entered the dining room. "My angel!" the Queen cried out softly and quickly moved to embrace her. "I am so sorry to deny you the rest and healing you well deserve! Are you well?" Ahamo touched his daughter's cheek lightly, the same sentiments in his eyes.

Cain moved apart from the worried parents to give them a semblance of privacy with their children. The first thing he noticed was that other than Glitch and Tutor, no one else was in the room. There was an ample dinner spread out buffet style against one wall, but there were no servants anywhere. For even a private dinner among the royal family, that was highly unusual. Azkadellia rose from the couch in one corner as soon as the door shut behind him and closed her eyes briefly. Just a glimmer of light limned her form briefly, but it was enough to let Cain know that she used her magic. "A shield?" he murmured.

"Yes. Anyone who listens now will hear only the pleasantries and reassurances of any family threatened by violence," she replied.

"What about other magic users?"

The Crown Princess gave one of her cool, elegant shrugs. "Any magic user that attempted to listen in with their magic would know that our conversation is not as it sounds, of course," she said. "However, if the magic user in question is strong enough to penetrate the shield to hear the real words we speak, then I will know instantly and I fear we will have far more grave concerns to deal with than wondering how much they hear."

"Point taken," Cain said dryly.

Ahamo came over and shook Cain's hand. "Thank you for coming, Captain," he said. "Let's go ahead and get something to eat and we'll talk once we're all seated." The Consort retained some of the earthiness of his life on the Otherside and generally managed his duties with a minimum of formality where possible. The more time Cain spent with the Consort, the more he liked and respected the man.

Everyone filled their plates at the sideboard and sat themselves at the table in the center of the room. It was reasonably small, meant only for immediate family and close friends, but there was still enough room for two or three times their number to eat comfortably. Az sat next to DG and Cain was struck by the picture they made together. They were both beautiful women, but DG was normally vivacious and full of energy, while Azkadellia retained the pale, serene grace associated with the Witch. Tonight, those roles seemed reversed, with Azkadellia still quiet and controlled, but DG so pale that the older princess seemed robust in comparison.

Glitch must have noticed as well, since he put down his plate and touched DG's arm with a gentle hand. "How are you feeling, Doll?" he asked.

DG smiled reassuringly. "I'm just tired, Glitch, that's all. That weird cream works great and I'm not in much pain right now."

Cain didn't miss the troubled frown that Tutor exchanged with Azkadellia, but decided to let it go for the moment.

After a few more polite exchanges, DG finally put down her fork and gave her mother an even look. "Ok, so why exactly are we here? And why did it take three hours of mumbo jumbo from the Lords Stuffypants to get here to begin with?" She figured that she got her point across even if the Otherside slang went right over their heads.

Her parents shared a long, unreadable look. Her mother turned toward her and DG realized that her mother's hands trembled just slightly before they were pressed flat against the table to still them. "Again, I am sorry, my angel. I know you are exhausted and hurt. I wanted you at the Council meeting for two reasons. One, of course, was to learn of the Lourden threat yourself. The second reason," the Queen took a deep breath and seemed to brace herself. "The second reason, angel, is because I wanted to convince the Council that nothing is being done without them; that they know and control everything that is going on in regards to this situation." The Queen's large, lavender eyes gazed into the bright blue gaze of her youngest child. "You will have to leave Central City tonight, and the Councilors cannot be aware of it."

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Author's Note: I know some of this seems pointless or very slow, but I do have a plan and it will all tie in soon. I do it in the name of plot bunnies and character development that refuses to be put aside for more interesting scenes just yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer - the characters and the OZ aren't mine and I'm not making any profit off of this (although I'd be tempted to say yes if someone wants to offer...)

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DG stared at her mother, not understanding the words that seemed so abrupt and so final. "Wait, what? I have to leave? Why?"

Cain reached out to grip DG's hand in wordless support under the table. Her hand was cold and trembling inside of his own. "You want to remove the princess from public view and that only makes sense. If no one knows where she is, it is harder to make her a target," he reasoned aloud for her benefit. "Do you expect another attack so soon that she cannot rest and heal tonight in comfort?"

"No! I don't want to leave," DG protested, ignoring Cain. "I'm not afraid!"

Her father reached for the Queen's hand in much the same way that Cain held DG's to offer her what comfort he could. "We don't particularly want you to leave either, spitfire, but it's for the best. You are the primary target because you have more magic."

DG's mouth dropped open. "What? That's not true! Az is stronger than I am," she cried out. "You've always told me that." Again, there was that exchange of enigmatic glances. DG wanted to scream in frustration. She felt like she didn't understand anything that was happening and she was still so tired she had a hard time keeping up. It wasn't fair of the others to keep confusing her. She felt so left out.

"That's what you have always believed, angel, not what we have told you," the Queen said softly. She hesitated for a moment, then gave a tiny shrug. "The question of actual strength aside, you have more magic because you have mine as well as yours. It was not a temporary giving of strength, but a permanent giving of life. For a Gale, because of our bond with the OZ, strength and magic and life cannot be separated. You must have felt this for yourself."

DG stared helplessly at her mother, not knowing what to say or even what to think. For months she had been giving her mother and sister the impression that more and more of her magic was coming under her conscious control. In reality, she made almost no progress whatsoever, except in learning magical theory. _So I can what, theorize these assassins to death when they come after me again?_ she thought wildly. It was an effort to suppress the laughter that the random thought conjured. She felt no bond to the OZ. Hell, she didn't even feel a bond with her own magic. The moment of uncomfortable silence lengthened, and she squirmed slightly, praying for some kind of an out.

"DG has no bond with the OZ, your Majesty," Tutor rumbled in his low voice. It was her mother's turn to look shocked. Az, DG noted in a corner of her brain that was still capable of thinking, just nodded as if having an idea confirmed.

"I don't understand," the Queen said flatly. "I have regular reports from both you and DG concerning her lessons. How can you have not shown her the bond that links her to the OZ? Without that bond, she surely cannot access her magic."

"DG has not been able to do anything beyond the basic control exercises she mastered at six years old, my Queen. Believe me when I say it is not from the lack of her own effort. I have never seen anyone work so hard and tirelessly at learning a skill. Until I could figure out why DG could not access her magic, I concentrated on magic theory, with an emphasis on how that would relate to the intended practical lesson. The princess has learned the lessons well, but has not been able to use the knowledge in a hands-on fashion."

The Queen looked blankly at Tutor for a long moment. "I don't understand," she repeated, sounding frustrated. _At least I'm not the only one_, DG couldn't quite suppress the momentary smugness she felt. "Of course she can't practice her magic knowledge without the bond."

Azkadellia suddenly sat up straight. "She isn't grounded!" she exclaimed. "But I don't understand how that's true."

Everyone looked at DG and she squirmed some more. "Will you stop looking at me like I'm some weird bacteria under a microscope!" she cried. Everyone gave her blank looks except for Ahamo and she finally just threw her hands up. "Fine. Talk over my head. Don't tell me what you're talking about. Hurt princess over here doesn't care anymore."

Her father just grinned and patted her hand. "Now you know how I felt when I was courting your mother," he stage whispered.

The Crown Princess ignored the byplay and stared off into space, thinking very hard. "Wait...Deeg is an elemental mage, right? And elemental mages need to be grounded more solidly than any other type of mage. But I killed her." She flinched a little bit and DG hopped up with some of her old energy and wrapped her older sister in her arms. "Then Mother gave her own life force to revive her."

"Whoa, Az." DG pushed a tendril of escaped damp hair back behind her ear. "You're going a bit too fast for me, here. I mean, I know what you're talking about in general. A ground is the base of any use of magic, right? Like a stand for a patio umbrella, or a stake keeping a tree upright."

Az nodded doubtfully. "I guess so, although I would not have ever described it quite like that."

DG waved that off. "But we're born with the magic, right? Isn't that why the Lourden are so underground to begin with? Because their ideas are so way off base? I mean, the OZ is giving us the magic inherent in it, so don't we naturally have that bond with it?"

Azkadellia, the Queen and Tutor all started speaking at the same time. After a moment of trying to talk over each other, Azkadellia and the Queen nodded to Tutor. "You seem to have a way of explaining things to my angel," the Queen said wryly. "By all means, continue, although I believe I understand the difficulty of the situation now."

Tutor thought for a moment. "DG, when the Witch killed you, she did so by sucking out your life. In essence, she was also draining your magic. In the normal way of things, the Witch would have absorbed your life force, and thus your magic, for herself. She was not able to do this with your life force because as a Gale, you held a very strong bond with the Outer Zone and it resisted her attempts. As a child in body and mind, she did not yet possess the strength of will to force the absorption despite her prior experience." He glanced briefly at Azkadellia for confirmation. She nodded curtly. "So she could not use your life force for herself, but she was able to remove it from your body. Technically, you did die."

DG listened in horrified silence to the explanation of her death. She had seen what had happened, of course, thanks to Raw, but it was somehow very different to hear it broken down so mechanically. She tightened her arms about Az in reassurance, silently comforting her against the grief she could feel emanating from her older sister.

Tutor cleared his throat roughly. "I believe that when you died, your bond with the OZ was severed. Your mother gave you much of her life force, but not all of it. Even had she been able to do so – and thank Glinda she couldn't! - the bond with the OZ is not transferable in that manner, being a deeply personal, blood-bound connection with the land. It took me many months to realize this, DG. In fact, I did not fully understand why you were having such difficulty with accessing and mastering your magic until this morning. That is why I bent over to touch the earth – I was trying to feel for the presence or absence of that bond. I can feel the potential in you to be one of the greatest elemental mages the OZ has known. You understand the concepts and the theories of using that magic well...however, you have no link with the OZ. Without that link, you cannot consciously reach your magic."

Cain stood up and started to pace around. "DG, er, the Princess, has used her magic many times," he protested. "For most of those situations, I was right there with her and I saw her use it."

Tutor was nodding. "Yes, the magic will never go away under normal circumstances. The magic will also not be used under normal circumstances, but at no time during DG's first week or two in the OZ can those circumstances be considered normal."

DG rolled her eyes at the ponderous explanation. "Thank God you're not normally this obtuse, Toto, or I would not have managed to pass the lessons I did sit through. All you're trying to say is that since most of the time I was running around scared for my life, the OZ was able to use that emotion to create a link with me when I needed it the most. That's why when I was grabbed the earth with my bleeding hand I was suddenly able to access the magic. The blood served as a temporary link."

"That is, not so incidentally, the heart of the Gales creed. 'We are one with the OZ.' The full creed is somewhat longer and more lyrical than that, but that's what it comes down to." Az pulled off her signet ring. "See? The circle represents the OZ and the symbol inside it is a combination for the ancient glyph for 'one' along with the traditional Gale marking."

DG gave it an impatient glance then turned back to Tutor. "So I can access it in a mortal emergency, but that's about it?" At his nod she sank back into her chair shaking her head slowly. "So much for me as a powerful mage," she said dryly. Deep inside, she did not know how to feel. Relief, disappointment, amusement and anger all swirled within her. She had gotten used to expecting that she would have magic despite her initial disbelief and now that was being taken away.

"Can't she just re-establish the bond or whatever with the OZ?" Cain asked, still pacing. "Not every magic user is a Gale, after all, and there must have been some point in history where this bond wasn't so regular as to be nearly forgotten."

"It does not quite work that way, Captain," Azkadellia sighed.

The Queen cut her oldest daughter off with a wave of her hand. "Actually, it does. The Captain's question has merit. There is a way for mages to establish or reaffirm a deep personal connection to the land, but it is ancient knowledge and almost lost to myth and legend."

Azkadellia sat very still for a moment. "You could have told me this earlier."

Her mother met her eyes very calmly. "You did not want to listen, just as you did not want to tell others what you knew of that no one else did." Az remained quiet and the queen continued. "You are my daughter and I am very proud of you. You have overcome trials that no one could imagine to stand where you are today. You will be Queen one day – I do not allow you your position simply to make you feel better. For all that you have learned from the Witch though, her magic and knowledge follows a different philosophy than that of the Gale legacy. You must stop allowing her experience to deceive you into believing you have learned all there is to learn. It is time to step fully out of her shadow and reclaim your own birthright, lest it is lost forever."

The Crown Princess accepted the rebuke gracefully, but the sheen of tears told everyone that it had the desired effect. "My apologies, Mother, Father. If you would please continue, I will not interrupt unless I have a concrete point."

DG glanced back and forth from her parents to her sister. Apparently, more had been going on during Az's own lessons with their mother than DG was aware of. Unsure how to dissolve the tension, she cleared her throat. "Well, okay, then," she said uneasily. "So I can re-

establish this link with the OZ. Something tells me it's not that easy." She ignored Cain's mutter of, "it's never that easy with you, Princess," but suppressed smiles from everyone else told her that it was heard and agreed with. "Hey," she whined and tried to jab the Tin Man with her elbow. "It's not my fault that I always end up in trouble." After a few more dodged jabs, she subsisted with a huge sigh. "So what do I have to do, anyway?" _I only hope this doesn't turn into another adventure..._

_

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_A/N - mwahaha, we all know where these sort of thoughts ultimately lead. I know there is a discrepancy with the knife and how it has been used so far, but that will be explained later. Thank you so much for the reviews. I am glad you are all enjoying my story.


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